ABUJA — The AdvoKC Foundation has faulted the Senate for what it described as a failure to comprehensively address the shortcomings of the 2023 general elections, despite its recent reversal on electronic transmission of results.

In a statement on Monday, the civic tech organisation acknowledged that the Senate’s decision to mandate electronic transmission of polling unit results to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Result Viewing Portal (IReV) represents a hard-won victory for citizens and civil society groups.

The statement, signed by the Communications Manager of the foundation, Mr. Luqman Adamu, however insisted that the amendment remains fundamentally flawed due to the retention of a manual fallback clause in cases of communication failure.

The Senate had approved a revised provision requiring Presiding Officers to electronically transmit polling unit results to IReV after votes are counted and Form EC8A is signed and stamped.

AdvoKC said the shift followed days of coordinated digital advocacy, public engagement and protests by Nigerians demanding reforms to prevent a repeat of the lapses witnessed during the 2023 elections.

While welcoming the development as a positive step, the organisation warned that allowing physical result forms to become the primary basis for collation whenever electronic transmission fails creates what it described as a “dangerous escape route.”

According to the group, the manual fallback provision risks reintroducing the same discretionary loopholes that undermined public trust in the last general election.

“The Senate version remains fundamentally flawed,” the statement read. “Without strict safeguards, this provision risks recreating the same weaknesses that eroded public confidence in 2023.”

The foundation called on the National Assembly Conference Committee — led by Senator Simon Lalong for the Senate and Hon. Adebayo Balogun for the House of Representatives — to adopt the House version of the amendment, which it described as more robust and technically sound.

Among its recommendations, AdvoKC urged the committee to extend the notice period for elections to 360 days instead of 180 days to improve logistics and preparation. It also called for a significant increase in penalties for vote buying to curb voter inducement.

The group argued that adopting the House version would eliminate ambiguity and prevent administrative discretion from overriding transparency in the electoral process.

Describing the harmonisation process as the final opportunity to restore confidence in Nigeria’s democracy ahead of the 2027 general elections, the organisation maintained that Nigerians have already played their part by demanding accountability.

“Citizens have spoken and organised, and the Senate responded. Now the Conference Committee must finish the job,” the statement added.

The AdvoKC Foundation is a youth-led civic technology organisation focused on promoting transparency, democratic governance and public participation through research, advocacy and digital accountability tools.